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Corner House: Yay Or Nay?

You may have heard the old-wive’s tales about moving into a corner house. But are they true? Is there any wisdom to avoiding buying a corner lot, or does it come with unique advantages?

I’ll never forgot my mother-in-law warning me that buying a corner house will lead to nothing but cans and trash in my lawn, and the noise of passing cars. Not to mention the awkward layout of the yard and house. Sometimes corner lots lead to wasted space, or unsafe yards.

But there are some interesting things (good and bad) that you may not have thought of:

More curbside space. Sure, you are more on-display to your neighbors and passers-by, but you will likely have double the curb-side space as the other homes on the block. That means more parking for guests, and more opportunities for landscaping. Picture a sweeping row of flowers and shrubs along both sides of the lot.

More yard. Even though most corner lots will have a slightly smaller backyard, they will have more yard over all. It’s up to the home owner to get creative with it. Sure, there is a larger investment involved in order to have privacy, but there will likely be more front yard involved. The space lost by the placement of the actual house is transferred to the side and front yards. These make great places for outdoor dining or children’s play areas.

Privacy issues. Depending on the neighborhood and community, you may need to invest in a good fence. Most cities and counties won’t allow privacy fencing in the front of a house, but a nice picket fence can prevent trespassers and keep the kids nice and safe in the front. You may also need to invest in some good curtains and shades for the windows. Depending on the level of traffic, you might even purchase double-pained windows to reduce the overall noise.